We will only review your documents once a full application package is submitted via the online application system.

NEW AS OF 2018:

All full-time students who begin a UBC-Vancouver PhD program in September 2018 or later will be guaranteed a minimum funding package of $18,000 for each of the first four years of their PhD. This guaranteed minimum doctoral funding package may consist of any combination of internal or external awards, teaching-related work (TA), Research assistant(RA), and Graduate Academic Assistant (GAA).

IMPORTANT FOR ALL APPLICANTS:

It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure a complete application package – including all reference letters, required uploaded documents and official transcripts – is received by the RES graduate program by the application close date.

Late applications and incomplete applications will not be considered for admission. No exceptions.

Please note that you can NOT make changes to your online application once it is submitted. This applies to the application itself as well as documents you have uploaded, so please make sure you upload the final version of your required documents before submitting your application. If you have issues uploading required documents to your application, please contact the IRES Graduate Program Office at admissions@ires.ubc.ca.

Take a look at the profiles of our IRES Core Faculty and Faculty Associates. It is strongly recommended that you identify some Core and/or Associate Faculty whose research interests align with your own and reach out to them directly prior to or during the admissions process. Send them a concise email to introduce yourself, your research interests and how they align with theirs, and your desire to have them supervise your Masters/Doctoral program.

If you are a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident (PR), you may also ask if they would be willing to review your SSHRC/NSERC application.

Note: all Canadian/PR applicants are strongly encouraged to apply for SSHRC or NSERC at the same time you are applying to the RES program.

When you fill out the RES online application form, you will be asked to provide the names of three potential Supervisors. Having already established communication with potential supervisor(s) is an excellent way to determine if the potential Supervisor(s) and RES program is a good fit for you as well as help us route your application to the appropriate faculty for review.

Note: RES Admissions decisions are made by the RES Admissions Committee. An individual IRES supervisor is not able to offer you admission to the RES program. However, having been in contact with potential supervisor(s), and having them express interest in your research ideas, can help your case during the admissions process.

These four sources, taken together, should provide the answers to almost all of your admissions questions.

Should you have any further questions about the application process once you have read the above resources, please contact the IRES Graduate Program Manager at admissions@ires.ubc.ca

RES Required Application Items

It is the applicant’s responsibility to determine their eligibility for the RES program, ensure that their application is complete and that all required documents are submitted by the application close deadline ofDecember 31, 2018.

Secure Electronic Transcripts are also accepted. The issuing institution sends a link to a secure site to Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS) at graduate.sas@ubc.ca. G+PS downloads the transcript from the secure site. *Important: an e-transcript is downloaded via a link to a secure site. It is NOT an email attachment of any kind, even if sent from an authority at the issuing institution.

*IMPORTANT: DO NOT SEND OFFICIAL PAPER COPIES OF YOUR TRANSCRIPTS TO RES DURING THE APPLICATION PROCESS*

RES will make provisional admission decisions based on your complete online application file.

If you are offered admission to RES: we will then require you to submit TWO paper copies of your official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions in signed, sealed envelopes from the issuing institution.

We require three (3) letters of recommendation from academic sources. If one or more of your referees knows you in a professional context, this is also acceptable as long as they are able to speak to your ability in your proposed research areas. Reference letters are submitted directly by the referee to the online application system.

Applicants will input their referee's contact information into the application system. The referees will be contacted with instructions on how to upload their letter only after the applicant has completed the rest of their application, paid their application fee and submitted it online.

It is therefore VERY important that applicants complete and submit their application online with enough time for the referees to be contacted and to be able to comfortably write their letter of recommendation to upload before the reference letter deadline.

We recommend submitting your complete online application at least one week before the application close deadline.

The RES Admissions deadline is firm and all required application components must be received by the online application system by the RES deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered for admission.

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.

It is the applicant's responsibility to determine if they are required to submit an English Proficiency test as part of their application.

For admission to the RES program, we require the following scores:

TOEFL

We require a minimum total score of 100 on the internet-based (iBT) TOEFL, with no TOEFL component less than 24 for entry into the RES program.

Please ensure that you include the following on your TOEFL sheet:

The University of British Columbia's institution code 0965

The reason for taking TOEFL: "to enter a college or university as a graduate student"

UBC accepts either an official paper score report sent directly to the university from the testing center or an electronic submission.

IELTS

We require a minimum overall score of 7, with no component less than 6.5 for entry into the RES program.

UBC requires an official score to be sent electronically from the test center. On the IELTS application form you will be asked to specify institutions where you would like the results being sent to. Use the following details:

The RES Thesis Proposal is a required document for the RES admissions process that outlines the research question(s) you plan to address in your graduate program.

Proposals should include an identification of context, objectives, methodology, and address the scholarly relevance and societal importance of the issue(s) you would like to explore in your graduate research.

The thesis proposal is limited to 2 pages (single-spaced, 12 point font, 2.5 cm margins). The page limit does not include references.

Scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) are desirable, but optional to submit. Your application will be not be penalized in any way if you do not submit a GRE score. If you have a strong GRE score and wish to submit it, please consult the GRE website on how to send in your scores. *GRE scores may be sent electronically to G+PS at graduate.apply@ubc.ca. The UBC institution code is 0965. The RES department code is 0110.

Applying for Funding and Awards

We strongly encourage eligible potential applicants to apply for funding, such as NSERC or SSHRC awards, in the same academic session as they apply to us. Applicants should be aware of the early application deadlines for SSHRC/NSERC.

Please note that while confirmation of funding will be taken in to consideration when assessing your application, it cannot guarantee you a place in the program.

Due to the high number of competitive applicants to the RES program and the limited number of faculty members who can supervise students, not all eligible applicants who meet our minimum criteria can be admitted to the program.

The RES Admissions Committee make conditional offers of admission based on your online application and uploaded documents. The RES admissions decisions must be reviewed and approved by UBC Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS) before you will be given full admission to UBC and the RES program.

IRES Admissions Contact Information:

The University of British Columbia
IRES Graduate Program Manager
AERL Building
430-2202 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC
V6T 1Z4 Canada